We don't stop caring campaign

We don't stop caring campaign urges government to
raise foster care leaving age to 21

A nationwide
alliance of agencies have today renewed their calls for the
government to raise the age of leaving age for state care
from 17 to 21 and are asking the public to show their
support for the change.

In New Zealand, young people
leave state care on their 17th birthday – an age when they
can’t even sign a tenancy agreement. “We see the impact
of that every day – young people who end up homeless,
living on the streets because they have nowhere to go”,
says Lifewise General Manager Moira Lawler.

“We’re
pleased to hear that the Minister can see the need for the
age to be raised, and we hope that she will consider
international research such as the state of Illinois’s
overwhelmingly positive results for young people leaving
care at 21.”

Research from Monash University in
Australia also shows that for each 17 year old who leaves
state care, it can cost the state more than $700,000 due to
poor outcomes including homelessness, justice and correction
costs, and long-term welfare dependence.

Most families
in NZ support their children well past 17, with most Kiwis
now leaving home at 23. Even then, those who leave the nest
can come back for support if times get tough. But that
isn’t the case for young people raised in the state care
system. “These young people don’t have the option to
come home if something goes wrong– they’re left
isolated, without the skills or support needed to
successfully navigate the adult world”, says Dingwall
Chief Executive Tracie Shipton.

Lifewise, Youthline,
Child Poverty Action Group, Action Station and agencies from
all around the country have teamed up for a campaign named
We Don’t Stop Caring, asking the public to sign a petition
to raise the age of leaving state care from 17 to 21.

Nearly 6000 people have already signed the petition, and
the group are hoping to get at least 10,000 signatures
before presenting the results to the Select Committee. “We
ask that everyone signs the petition today to make sure that
our government knows that Kiwis don’t stop caring when our
young people turn 17.” says Moira.

“Young people are
in state care through no fault of their own. Somehow we have
got to a point where people are quick to judge young people
in foster care, but they are the innocent victims of
sometimes horrific abuse and neglect. Our government is
responsible for young people in state care, and we as
members of the community also have a role to play in making
sure that they have the support they need to thrive” says
Moira.

Tupua Urlich, now 19, left state care at 15. “For
me personally, leaving state care was a horrible and
heartbreaking experience. You have so much expectation that
grows throughout your childhood of returning to a loving
environment with all your family. Sadly that was not the
case for me.”

Transitioning to life as an independent
adult only gets harder when a young person has already had a
disrupted life in-and-out of the state care system.
“Raising the age of leaving foster care from 17 to 21
would mean that young people can learn the skills they need
for being independent, and those who choose to leave have
the option of coming home if they need to”, says Tracie.

If the age of leaving state care remains at 17, young
people will continue to fall through the gaps. State care
leavers are known to suffer disproportionately poor
outcomes, including homelessness, over-representation in the
justice system, becoming young parents, and being dependent
on welfare long-term.

Not only is it vital that the
Government provides the same level of care as a reasonable
parent, raising the age of foster care from 17 to 21 is in
everyone’s best interest. With better support, more young
people will be able to make the transition to adulthood
successfully, resulting in long-term economic, social and
health benefits for us all.

“Leaving state care at 17
means teenagers like myself can end up on to the streets for
years.”, says Tupua. “I’m asking for the age of foster
care to be lifted because like every other young person in
state care, I want to be a productive member of society and
to live a happy life. We don’t want to just be survivors
of our own childhood and upbringing”.

The Action Station
petition asks the Child Youth and Family panel to raise the
age of leaving foster care in NZ from 17 to 21, and was
created in collaboration with Lifewise, Dingwall Trust,
Youthline, Child Poverty Action Group, Wesley Community
Action, Christchurch Methodist Mission and Action Station.

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